last night i was up until 1:30 i was tired but i was still rolling dolmas at midnight. luckily the olympics were on so i worked and listened, ran over to watch when it got exciting. exciting is like the beach volley ball. it was a little dicey.
anyway, here is how to make greek 'dolmas'
you pluck a few pounds of large fresh grapeleaves. i let them soak in cold water for days hoping to soften them.
wash leaves in coldwater, boil for three minutes. in half a cup of olive oil saute' the onions.
fresh herbs make a big difference in the flavor. i used pine nuts (pinon) and currants also.
throw in the ingredients: mint and dill, black pepper, salt,pinon, currants and a nice basmati rice (1cup)
simmer for five minutes (rice will cook later in the rolled up leaves. don't roll them too tight because the rice expands.
a heaping teaspoon is about right. if the leaf is smaller or bigger put less or more.
roll 'em up. perpendicular to the longest diameter as in the picture.
layer the bottom of frying pan with leaves
pour a half cup of olive oil and the juice of about six small lemons.
add a cup and a half of hot water.
cover and simmer for at least an hour. low heat. not too low. simmering.
i ate these hot but they are normally served cold. i was starving by 1:00 a.m.. i think they're even tastier hot.
this takes a long time, but i made enough to freeze half of them. the rest will last many days. serve with other condiments like this sourcream garlic dill cucumber sauce. i think it's called 'tzadziki'.
for lunch today i made this lovely snack with the balancing sweets of cream cheese and guava jelly. :happy:
yes, that's 'passion fruit' and a slice of apple. 😎
I'm hungry.:D
sorry… i always say, "cook while you're hungry" it's a lot more fun. 🙂
Oh, it is, Scott. But when I cook while I'm hungry, I'm usually not when I'm finished cooking.Hungry, that is.:lol:
i have that with sushi which i love. but when i make it i lose my appetite. do you eat while you're cooking? apart from tasting i mean.i'm very strict with myself about that. i can't eat until the meal is ready. 🙂
Scott – sometime in the mid-eighties I visited a family on the Anatolian Plains in Turkey. They were about the most hospitable people I've ever come across – I was lucky to get away walking instead of rolling.So much food, so much song and so much joy over a guest from Scandinavia. I'll never forget that.I'll never forget the food either. It was exactly the food you've presented on your photos. Not just close. Exactly!Dolmus, it was called. Even the name is close 🙂
I love dolmas!!!! :happy: But I really get the winds :left:I get high from cooking sometimes. If I´m not hungry afterwards I part the food in portions and freez it 🙂 I never label the buckets. I like to get exited to see what comes out when I defreeze it 🙄 :DSometimes when I cook, I eat raw mushrooms and a selfcomposed dip of some thought while I cook. I love snacking while cooking :chef:
They look tasty :happy:
I don't eat while cooking, and only taste if I'm making a sauce. But by the time I finish preparing the meal, I'm just ready to move on to something else, I guess. I don't know why the act of cooking tends to decrease or even satisfy my appetite.I know….Weird.:lol:
WOW! it looks like turkish dolma!!!!!!!!!!:):):) Bone Apetite!;)
Fine hash slingin'! 🙂
Hi Scott! Long time! How have you been? Missed you!This looks wonderful and I have an abundance of grape leaves and totally intend on cooking this over the weekend. Don't know if it will turn out 'picture perfect' as your works of art do, but I'm sure going to give it my all.May even be brave enough to snap a couple and post them..hehe!!Wouldn't it be cool if everyone posted a recipe a week…"The Opera Cookbook". "Cooking Opera Style"..I can see it on the stands now. Or it could be purchased at our store!! Hey, why not?And a contest, too. Recipe of the month wins a free Opera T-shirt!!!(The proceeds from the book will pay for the T-shirts)Oh, but wait, you will need more closet space!!!! LOLI will graciously elect you "President in Charge"!!!:yikes: :yes: :yes: Have a super day, Scott!:happy: Hugs…Jillee:heart:
I'm going to try this recipe today. Looks healthy, and delicious!!:coffee:
Scott,
try sadziki with 1cup sour cream,1 cup plain yogurt(it becomes Greek yogurt taste like with 1/2 the price) and the dipping will be more enjoyable 🙂
:down:
I introduced "sadziki" to my neighbors in Pennsylvania :lol:I had them all kiss before they ate it!fun, fun ,fun !!Scott your kids live in paradise, Pennsylvania is beautiful!oh in my "magnificent" post I have a picture I took for you,the frying pans that are painted on the kitchen wall(we did have a conversation about it in the past),I know you have an enormous amount of msgsI had my share when I came back, so I shouldn't give you more to look at…I am glad you are back Scott,I really missed you big time! :love:
hey, that's how i already make it… amazing. you know some people use mayonaise… quel dommage…
I am buying my tkt to LAX !! pasta sauce with homemade tomatoes will be one of the reasons! :lol:Jonathan and his wife must have been sailing in a lake..Congratulation on the finished house too! They must be relieved to be done, people have such a hard time with housing these days!!! are you coming East to visit them??:DGod was in a great mood when he created the Appalachian mountains !! such beauty!:heart:
oh, that's all right…. lol it is taking me hours to get through them all… and then there's the watches… they have piled up too.it's good to be gone for a while… it's fun to come back. like for instance, you should see how many tomatos ripened while i was gone… it's very exciting. i will be making spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatos… ultra wonderful. :happy:i'll get around to you don't worry… i can't wait to see…yes, jonathan lives in pennsylvania. he just sent me some great pictures of himself and his wife sailing on a lake… i guess it must be a lake.he also sent pics of his house finished. he's been working on it for a couple of years. it's beautiful. i am so proud of him.
come on. i dare you. dinner will be ready whenever you arrive. he he he.it's all beautiful… the adirondacks are incredibly alive and full of mystery.you should see the cascades in washington stateor the rockies… just amazing.and that's just this country. the whole earth is beautiful.baja california changes landscapes every twenty minutes traveling south.i mean totally. from green grass with giant white boulders to piles of nothing but boulders and air. then suddenly it's like the sahara desert but with black mountain-islands poking through the dunes. it looks like another planet. i love the land.
did I ever mention I visited 42 countries?:lol: I love the way you describe places! you make words taste like red wine,I know you know how I love red wine :heart:
thank you Scott,I love the idea but California will do ! :heart:My girl friend Anna is sleeping over tonight and she just closed her book….I am sure I will dream of Eagles tonight :lol:Good Night Scott. :heart:
Scott, thanks for dropping by! Now I've got the recipe from Angeliki, and the images here so I can tell what I'm doing! Looks great! Thanks again, Angeliki! :heart:
yeah travel is in my blood too. but i'm i'm as good a homebody as anyone.yes i know you love red wine. when i am rich and famous i will send you a case of chateau neuf du pape; my favorite.
I make sandwich wraps all the time. 🙂 Dolmas look a bit more complicated, but I think it's due to the leaf shape. Can I freeze the dolmas after I cook them? If so, how long can I leave them in the freezer? Also, can I use cabbage leaves instead? I really want to try Angeliki's recipe! 😆
babs,it takes patience but it is so worth the time. make a lot like i did. you'll be glad you did. and try it hot the first time…meli,those wild and crazy eagles… sleep tight anyway. :heart:
Babs,yes you can freeze them,however do not cook the all the way, go 1/2 way and after they cool freeze them. You can separate them in two pots for this. The ones you will enjoy with your mom and kids and the ones that you will freeze. I say 1/2 because the finish of the cooking when ready to eat will totally make the taste as good or even better as they were made that very day!for Sarma you can use Maiannas recipe using cabbage .I find that if you micro the cabbage for 8 minutes turning it half way it is ready to separate the leaves in a faster time and you deal with less liquids,Just micro or boil ahead of the time …cabbage holds heat much longer than grape leaves and burning your hands can be a point to watch out 🙂
meli,I was feeling your wings all over me! have a great day! 🙂
I think the Pouilly Fuissé or perhaps a Muscadet would be all right.Thanks,Scott. Have a pleasant weekend.
Congratulations for your recipe. Elle est digne d'un Chef. I have got all the ingredients and I would be a fool if I didn't do it. One more thing: what do you drink with that?
traditional would be a good 'retzina'. but it's kind of an acquired taste since it does have a strong resin flavor… maybe from the barrels they age it in. i don't know. but i love it.but i recommend a dry white chablis or if you can afford it puilly fuisse'
Scott, I love grape leaves. Anything greek, just about, too. These are good hot and cold, I think.This is a lot of work to cook. We used to do a gourmet day once/month (it lasted about one month 😆 ) but the idea was good. Once my husband made cabbage rolls (laborious to tie the little strings to keep them in place and steam forever and a day) and I made grape leaves like this once. I do buy them at the deli sometimes. They're healthy and tasty, too.have you ever tried zucchini fritters? good topped with the tzatziki
actually as a Greek I would have the fried zucchini with the garlic sauce;this is how we prepare it (it is worth trying 🙂 )Skordalia * 3 tablespoons minced garlic. * 3 or 4 boiled potatoes, mashed. (or 6 slices white bread, crusts removed, soaked in 1/2 cup cold water and squeezed dry.) * 1 cup olive oil. * 1/3 cup white wine vinegar. * Salt and pepper to taste.(Hand method)Combine garlic with mashed potatoes or bread in a mortar. Blend to form a soft paste. Add olive oil and vinegar alternately in very small amounts, stirring briskly. Add salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until sauce is thick.(Blender or food processor method)Place garlic and potatoes or bread in bowl and blend. Add olive oil and vinegar and continue to blend. If too thick, add 1/4 cup cold water. Add salt and pepper. Blend until creamy and thick.
thanks, I will try it sometime this fall. 🙂 I love zucchini and can still get some good ones at the market. I LOVE GREEK FOOD! (My credo and the only bumpersticker that is worthy of my rear end) (on my car, of course)